An almost perfect getaway…except one thing…he couldn’t drive a stick shift! In an article published recently titled, Would-Be Carjacker Holds Driver at Gunpoint, Only to Realize One Thing That Foils His Entire Plan on the news website theblaze.com. This criminal proceeds to enter the vehicle, holds a gun up to the driver’s head and demands money, then attempts to drive off with the vehicle. After realizing his limited skills with a stick shift he proceeds to exit the vehicle, and takes off into the unknown world. Comical yes, laughable of course, but perhaps the story points out a much larger issue.
Who can drive a stick shift? Who can change a tire? Who can iron their clothes? Heck, even cook? (for those out their with loved ones who cook for them). Basic tasks understood to be “common knowledge” are sometimes looked over and left behind in the process of growing up in this day and age. There are those perhaps not lucky to have teachers, or someone to help instruct such skills. Pursuing skills to learn in our lives should be something a person tries to tackle every single day. Questions like, what I am I going to learn today? How am I going to grow? Where is the motivation? (So many questions I know haha). Am I to suggest the criminal succeed in his plan only if he had motivation to learn the skill of driving a stick shift?…perhaps. The point I’m trying to make is that a person (myself included) should strive to conquer the unknown and make it the known. Allowing companies, businesses, etc. to create new things to “help” the public only hurts the public in the long run in some cases. What they are in fact promoting are mentalities to let others “do” things for “us”. Instead the mentality should be what “we” can do for “ourselves”. Let’s tackle the unknown. (Do not steal cars).
-John
misconstructed fallacy 